Check out these air lifted elephants! Wouldn’t this have you pointing at the sky? Students drew elephants in pencil (images from http://etc.usf.edu//clipart), then transferred them onto half sheets of watercolor paper. We outlined and shaded them using ultra fine black Sharpies. On a separate full sheet of watercolor paper, we prepared our hot air balloon using Sharpies and liquid watercolors. We connected the elephants to the balloons with some mini paper fasteners and colored twine. (We taped the two sheets together on the back.) Amazing!

Here are some photos from our summer “Flight” camp. We drew dragonflies, transferred our drawings to colored cardstock, and cut them out. We were left with a “silhouette” of a dragonfly. We then used liquid watercolor paints to paint a background on watercolor paper. Using Mod Podge, we glued our dragonflies on top of our finished paintings allowing the watercolors to peek through. Dazzling!

There are still a few openings in art classes beginning Aug. 26. Check out my “Art Classes” link above for details. Also, I will be teaching an adult art class beginning in September. Come join the fun!

Check out these amazing “batik” style hand painted fabrics! We used gel glue to draw designs on white fabric. After the glue dried, we painted them with watered down acrylic paints. After the paint dried, we soaked them in water for about half an hour. The gel glue dissolved leaving a beautiful batik like effect. Gorgeous!

There is still time to register for art camp this summer. Click on the class link above for a list of current camps. Get inspired!

Here’s another project from our Ocean Camp…..accordion books. We decorated covers with fish painted in watercolor pencil, then cut colorful papers into sea creatures, ships, and sunsets to tell a story. We glued our pictures in the accordion so that they would stand up. What imaginative works of art!

My summer “oceanic journey” camp has “set sail” and we are off to a great start! Check out these big mouth carp windsocks (courtesy of Blick Art Lesson Plans). They are just one of the many cool ocean themed art projects created last week. June camps are full, but there are still openings in the July camp “Flight”. You don’t want to miss it!

This post features a sampling of recent student work. Although I always provide a few example projects that students can imitate, students may also select their own images or objects as inspiration. They choose their subject matter, use pencil or charcoal to draw it as a sketch or finished drawing, and transfer it to another surface for painting or use of other media. I act as the “coach”, guiding them through the creative process and training their eyes to see shape, value, and color. The result? Some really marvelous and creative work!

Remember to check out my summer class list by clicking on the “Art Classes” link above. I’ve added a few art camps this summer. Take a break from the heat and come to the art studio for inspiration and fun!

This week we experimented with a textured support. Students drew canaries from images at http://etc.usf.edu//clipart and transferred them to watercolor paper which I had previously prepared with a “Coarse Molding Paste” by Golden. To prepare the paper, I first taped the watercolor paper to a piece of newsprint. The tape secured the paper and provided a “frame” once removed. I then added “Coarse Molding Paste” to the outside edges of the watercolor paper and let it dry. The students transferred their drawings onto the watercolor paper and used ink pens to outline them. Then they applied watercolor and acrylic paints, dragging the paints across the molding paste to highlight the texture. Quite lovely!